Changes in Composition of Saliva for Diabetic Patients Either With or Without Xerostomia

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the composition of saliva collected from patients with diabetes mellitus.
Methods: There were three groups involved in this study; patients with diabetes and xerostomia (DX, n=5); patients with diabetes without xerostomia (DN, n=5); and healthy participants (H, n=5) without diabetes and xerostomia. Participants were initially screened according to their unstimulated whole saliva (USWS) which was <0.2 ml/min for DX, whilst USWS>0.2ml/min for both DN and H. A total of 15 unstimulated and stimulated whole mouth saliva samples was collected. The matched-age ranged from 35 to 58 years. For each sample, saliva electrolytes (bound and unbound Ca⁺², K⁺, PO₄, Na⁺, F^-), the total proteins and also some saliva proteins (MUC5b, MUC7, Amylase) were analysed by the employment of Ion Selective Electrode (ISE), Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES), Bicinchoninic Acid Assay (BCA assay) and Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).
Results: Results showed that mean of total proteins were for DX: 9.6±1.7, DN: 10.5±2.04, and for H: 9.0±1.3. DX group showed a lower value of MUC7 compared to other groups (p<0.05). The mean amylase levels in diabetics was higher in general than in the healthy group, however there were no significant statistical differences in all groups (p=0.167). There was a significant correlation between the potassium levels and mucin in DX. The mean of potassium concentration (ppm) was for DX is (580.0±73), DN (457.6±67), H (556.5±64) with significant differences between each group (one way-ANOVA, p = 0.035). DX group tended to have a lower mean of free Ca⁺² concentration compared with the DN. There were no significant differences for sodium, phosphate and fluoride concentrations between each group (p>0.05).
Conclusions: Diabetes mellitus can modify the salivary quality and increase the risk of dental caries. Therefore, awareness of changes in salivary composition for patients with diabetes and xerostomia could help in designing oral health promoting guidelines.